Why Being a ND and Having Chronic Pain is a Blessing in Disguise
All right. Good morning. Happy Friday. How is and why is NVLD beautiful or a blessing in disguise or being neurodivergent or having chronic pain a good thing? Why is it a good thing to be authentically you and not mask your neurodiversity?
Why shouldn't it be? You mask your neurodiversity. I've always had a difficult time being myself, especially around people that don't know much about me. I usually don't hide the challenges that my learning difference and chronic migraine conditions present to my close friends and family, because they know what it is like for me since they live with me and have known me for a while.
They also generally want to help and support me. How can they do that if I mask who I am? I would like to discuss why I think neurodiversity and the chronic pain I have are a blessing in disguise. And why shouldn't you mask who you are? So this is a book that is not just about who you are and your challenges, but should embrace them to make your life easier on you and on others.
Hopefully we'll also explore what it is being done in the workplace to make it easier for neurodivergence to find careers. They will enjoy and keep the first article is titled the beauty of neurodiversity celebrating our unique minds by. Psychologies. Magazine written in June 4th of 2023 " But this neurodiversity can also bring special capabilities.
These may include strong pattern recognition, analytic thinking, sorry, analytical thinking, deep focus and enhanced memory. Heightened sensory awareness, creativity and visual processing skills are also common, but most importantly, having neurodivergent people in the workplace enhances diversity of thought.
Neurodivergent people with their different brains often look at the world from a unique perspective and can offer out of the box solutions to some of the world's biggest problems." So I definitely agree with that because there have been times when I have been, helping my parents at their nonprofit, with trying to, creatively, solve solutions or problems, and provide solutions for them.
In fact, one of them that was, pretty recent, we were doing it like an after action meeting. And what that means is that we were trying to discuss an event that we had earlier this year and trying to see how we can make it be better if we have it again. And one of the things we wanted to do differently next time is promote our cafe and partners.
And, I had a thought that it might be good to, advertise. What we have in our cafe and partners before the people are there at the event because they're standing in line for their ticket when they're there. But, it would be a little tricky to do that because if they saw the prices, they thought they might be paying for it when they get the ticket online when they would only pay for it there. But, I was trying to think oh, maybe this would be a good way for us to advertise and say hey This is what we have our cafe. If you know what you want to get maybe you can Let us know now. And then when you are there, you can pay for it. They are sort of thing. That's just one example of like creative thinking.
Another one. I usually help with, choosing music and I like to do that because it's, kind of fun. And, not always an easy thing to do, but it is fun. And, I always, when I'm listening to music, even if I'm not trying to pick some for work at that moment, I try to think, oh, this sounds like a good song for work, I'll save it and. Listen to it later when I'm thinking, picking music. So that helps me be more efficient by trying to save the song on a list of songs that might work. And an example of where sometimes I do mask a little bit of what I have. Yesterday I was just having a, drink somewhere and, I was , chatting with somebody who was, sitting nearby and he asked, what I do for work. And, if I ever would want to go back to school to get a different degree or to add something to it. And I was like, well, yeah, I thought about it, but there's some personal challenges that I have that make it more difficult to go back.
And the way I worded it personal challenges, it's true. And all these personal, and so are my chronic migraines. If I had, if I knew I had accommodations, I knew how I had the time and the money for it, , and I could get the help that I did in college, I might consider doing that, but I would want to know that it would actually add more, not just more, it wouldn't really be for it be doing it for the money per se, but if it would add that great, But if it would add, you know, more fun or a different aspect to my job than I have currently, I'm not sure if it would, because I'm pretty good at doing the tech park I have right now. The only other thing I don't know how to do is code and I don't need to know how to do that right now.
So we'll see. Anyways, the second article is titled what it is really like to be neurodivergent by Sean Allister, written in June 3rd of 2023.
“Around 15–20 percent of people are neurodivergent. But what makes someone neurodiverse? And what are the traits, the strengths and the struggles? Zurich employees Cara Atha and Karen O’Brien share their experiences of having dyspraxia and ADHD. Neurodivergent is a non-medical term for when someone’s brain processes, learns or behaves differently from what is considered “typical.”
Neurodiverse people think, process thoughts and experiences, and interact with the world around us in a unique way. It is thought that about 15–20 percent of the population is neurodiverse. This includes up to 10 percent of people who are diagnosed with dyslexia, 6 percent with dyspraxia, 5 percent with ADHD and 1–2 percent with autism.Neurodivergent minds possess a kaleidoscope of unique strengths, perspectives, and talents that add vibrant hues to the tapestry of humanity. And neurotypical refers to non-neurodivergent individuals. That is, any variation in how their brains function has little effect on their strengths and challenges.
Neurodivergent conditions exist on a spectrum, meaning that there is a broad range of characteristics and experiences within each condition. Each individual with a neurodivergent condition is unique, with their own strengths, challenges, and ways in which the condition manifests. This diversity within neurodivergent conditions highlights the importance of understanding and appreciating the individuality of each person’s experience.Individuals with autism spectrum disorder, for instance, could display various patterns of sensory sensitivity or have advantages in particular cognitive domains, like math or music. Similarly, within ADHD, individuals may experience different combinations of symptoms, such as primarily inattentive or primarily hyperactive-impulsive presentations."
So with that article, the reason I brought that in was because it gives a good description of pain, the , different neurodivergent diagnoses and the spectrum that I believe all of them have actually, because if you think about it, there's a saying that when you meet one neurodivergent, you've met one neurodivergent, which means I can, for example, this is a good one. I can drive with, even though I have an LD. It's pretty hard for me to drive, but I can drive and, someone who I've interviewed people on this podcast who cannot drive and they haven't all day. It's just too hard for them. And they've tried and they've given up, or accepted that they, can't do it for me. I chose to take a break from driving because of my last car accident and I don't think I would have had any of those accidents. If I, if there were a couple of things that were different, I didn't have a migraine. I had better technology in my car, I wasn't driving late at night and I wasn't in an unfamiliar area. Those are the reasons why those car accidents happened, and if I was quicker to respond to breaking, so the reason I brought that up is because even though I have those challenges, I can still drive. It's very stressful. I don't usually like it. That's why I decided to take a break and realize, you know, by taking a break, I'm actually being safer for myself and for others because it's less of a chance that I'm going to get an accident and possibly hurt myself or somebody else or both. It wasn't an easy thing to choose, but I think it's a good thing that I did that because eventually if I do go back, I'll be more cautious and be able to know that, okay, I can't drive when I have a really bad migraine. I can't do it late at night. I can't do it where I'm unfamiliar with the area and I can't do it very well. Unless I have more of a high tech car, which I do plan on getting if I go back, you know, one with not just a backup camera. I had that, but safety features like, blind spot monitors, emergency braking. Lane departure or lane assist. I might get that. And parking assist, too, that I think would be helpful.
So, anyways, there's a whole spectrum of degrees that you can have with the challenges. You could have one that. Is pretty mild or one that's in the middle or one that's more severe. In between those as well, like for me, my visual spatial, I would say at times it doesn't seem mild, but I would say it's a little bit more mild than it could be. But when I have a bad migraine, it's a little challenging for me to now to feel like my visual spatial is mild because. When your head hurts and you're in pain, it can be hard to process things correctly and accurately. And I think NLD also impacts that, so it's a little bit tricky with that. The third article is titled, When Neurodiversity Works, by Dana Saragin, written on September 25th of 2019.
"Though autism had never stood in the way of her goals, finding gainful employment seemed an uphill battle because verbal and nonverbal communication can pose a challenge to individuals on the ASD spectrum. Job interviews and already high stakes situation can be difficult. I spent over half a year just saying, Oh yeah, another failed interview.What a surprise. Why is it in the United States? One in 59 children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2018, according to the U S Senate, U S senators for disease control and prevention. More than half of young adults with autism remain underemployed, according to autism speaks and nearly half of 25 year olds with autism have never held a pain job. That means that talented, intelligent individuals like was struggle to find their. The right fit for fulfilling employment or any employment at all. Neurodiversity is really a unique approach to thought, said Pam West.
Our daughter Ingrid has a different thought process than a neurotypical person might have. Sometimes that neurodiversity is a gift and it allows some creative problem solving. It can also be a challenge because there is some need to have a lot of consistency in things like a schedule, a lot of sensitivities to the environment. In support of individuals like Wes, IBM launched the IBM Ignite Autism Spectrum Disorder Program in 2017.The program's goal is to help transform. Spectrum talent by employing them locally and delivering their unparalleled talent directly to IBM clients. And for Ingrid, she believes that individuals with neurodiversity are a "blessing in disguise.", Thanks to their different thought processes, see things differently and see things that are new and unexpected."
So that one, definitely speaks to the blessing in disguise piece because, IBM is trying to bring autistic people or people with autism into the workforce, which I think is great. It can be challenging when you have autism. I don't have it, but I. Have observed it in others that I've worked with in the past.And one of my friends has it and, it can be challenging because of, some people with autism, they are, how do I want to word this? They're good in some social situations, but not in all. So for example, and by good, I mean, they can better, present themselves or better handle themselves or better, equip themselves.
Like, one of the clients I had in the past, he had ADHD and autism, so he was a little aggressive, actually more than a little, but, he was, wasn't good in a classroom, so he was usually by himself with some aides , during school. And, I would say is probably on the high end of being, he is high functioning, but because he also has ADHD he's, aggressive. But you can also have autism and ADHD and not be aggressive and just have a tendency to. hyper focus on something and have a lot of energy, but have a good way of getting it out, like an exercise or in video games and, be able to better handle yourself when you're an adult than when you are, when you're a kid.You can be really good at, small group gatherings, but not so good at parties where you don't really know that many people. And when you're at a party, you probably have more of a tendency to be by yourself or be with a small group of people and be talking. Or maybe be on your phone more often if you don't have that many people there that you know and have things in common with. But if you're in a small group and you have a lot of things in common with them, then it's easier to get to know them and be like, Oh, hey, I can relate to you because I like Pokemon too, or I like, Zelda or whatever the video game is, or I like to take care of myself with exercise. I like to make sure that I don't get sick that often, whatever. There are different aspects that come into play.
So this is the fourth article. It's titled "neurodiversity as a competitive advantage" by Robert D Austin and Gary P Pisano, I think from the magazine. May, June, 2017.
"Though autism had never stood in the way of her goals, finding gainful employment seemed an uphill battle. Because verbal and non-verbal communication can pose a challenge to individuals on the ASD spectrum, job interviews—an already high-stakes situation—can be difficult.“I spent over half a year just saying, ‘Oh, yeah. Another failed interview. What a surprise,’” Weiss said. In the United States, 1 in 59 children was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder in 2018, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of young adults with autism remain underemployed, according to Autism Speaks. And nearly half of 25-year- olds with autism have never held a paying job.That means that talented, intelligent individuals like Weiss struggle to find the right fit for fulfilling employment, or any employment at all.
‘Neurodiversity is really a unique approach to thought,’ said Pam Weiss. ‘Our daughter Ingrid has a different thought process than a neurotypical person might have. Sometimes that neurodiversity is a gift and it allows some creative problem solving. It can also be a challenge because there is some need to have a lot of consistency in things like schedule, a lot of sensitivities to the environment.’ In support of individuals like Weiss, IBM launched the IBM Ignite Autism Spectrum Disorder program in 2017. The program’s goal is to help transform spectrum talent by employing them locally and delivering their unparalleled talent directly to IBM clients.And for Ingrid, she believes that individuals with neurodiversity are a “blessing in disguise” that, thanks to their different thought processes, see things differently— and see things that are new and unexpected.”
So I like that that article was trying to change their interview, process to bring in more, neurodivergent people, because it can be hard to do an interview when you're a neurodivergent, because you don't know how to bring up that you're neurodiverse in an interview, and that might not be the best place to bring it up. And so it's like, well, I need to practice answering the questions. How do I do that? How do I know what questions I'm going to be asked? And, , how do I kind of play role that, and I've done some, mock interviews myself where I try to practice with my parents or with my brother or, um, watch some YouTube videos of different kind of questions that are usually asked and see how people answer them. Those are helpful too.
So the fifth article, is that the last one that I'm using? Okay. No, it's not. So the fifth article is titled, what is neurodivergent asking and why do professionals do it by Jeffrey Howard written in April 13th of 2023.
"Neurodivergent professionals engage in masking as a coping mechanism used to conceal aspects of their neurodivergent traits and fit in with workplace norms. Neurodivergent masking refers to the process of concealing or suppressing aspects of one's neurodivergent traits or conditions in order to fit in with the norms of the workplace or society. From, for working professionals, neurodivergence masking can involve hiding assertive behaviors or characteristics that may be perceived as unusual or inappropriate, such as avoiding eye contact, struggling with social interactions, or having difficulty with multitasking. And this can be particularly challenging in work environments that prioritize Neurotypical social skills, communication, and multitasking abilities, which can put neurodivergent individuals at a distance, disadvantage."
I'm going to cut the quote there because I want to give my own example. Of how I used to mask. . I used to, kind of hold myself back and be like, I'm not going to talk about NLD. So much or my migraine so much. And I think I did that more in college than I do now. And actually a little bit when I graduated too, but, it doesn't really help in to mask because it doesn't show somebody who you are or what you. Really need from them if you need some help and it's like it's a disadvantage to yourself I think more than not asking that makes any sense.
And for a wrap up I'm not gonna do the last article it that one was about Living with a chronic disease. I'll give you a little bit of my background with that. The transcript will be different so you can read it that one if you want to. But for me, my chronic disease is migraines as some of you know, and it's tricky because you try everything you think you can try and sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, sometimes it works for a little bit, sometimes it stops working. And it's like a roller coaster of the, with the pain. And then like you're a lab rat on a hamster wheel. You keep trying something and then. You're at different speeds. And then it's like, okay, it's just, it's kind of hard to describe, but it's very hard to see what things will work.
And anyways, I hope that this will help you, imagine what it is like to mask and why you might want to do it or not do it in some cases and, be able to give you some ideas to help yourself or some friends that you know, who are neurodiverse. Sorry, I was cutting today a little short, but I have an appointment to get to so I'll talk to you guys later. I hope that episode was well worth it for you to listen to and that you enjoyed it. We're able to take something away from it even if you don't have a learning challenge or if you do I hope it was extra worthwhile for you so that you are able to Learn something and maybe journal and jot down some few takeaways so that The next time you experience that challenge yourself, you're able to, learn how to breathe through it more easily, or maybe not have a meltdown or a tantrum, or be able to take away more learning from it and not make the same mistake twice, you know, and, be able to, help somebody else go through that experience if you have a friend who has a learning difference and You are neurotypical. So I hope you will be able to have those some experiences in your life Now that you have listened to this episode.
Links for articles
https://bit.ly/3SNgbBh
https://www.ibm.com/blog/neurodiverse-workers-ibm-ignite/
https://www.sporkability.org/spork-exclusive/2015/10/4/why-living-with-a-chronic-disease-is-really-a-blessing-in-disguise
